(Albany, NY) – Senator Liz Krueger and animal rights activists secured another major victory in the fight against animal cruelty with the passage of the legislation (S7812 / A11161) that outlaws Animal Crush Videos. The highly disturbing Crush Videos often depict women crushing small animals with their feet or shoes for the purpose of erotic pleasure.

“The unfortunate reality is that the market for Crush Videos has seen rapid growth due to high internet sales,” explained Senator Krueger. “It’s disturbing to know that these videos even exist but since they do we must make it clear that participation in Crush Videos is unacceptable and punishable by law.”

Recently, the issue of animal cruelty in videos prompted a national debate when it came before the U.S. Supreme Court in April of 2010. In this particular case the Supreme Court struck down U.S. Code 18, Section 48, which outlawed depictions of animal cruelty, on the grounds that the definition of animal cruelty was too broad and could include hunting videos. To prevent a similar problem, Senator Krueger’s bill states the definition of animal cruelty as images that show “an animal being intentionally injured or killed” if they are “tortured, maimed, or mutilated.” It also specifically exempts hunting videos.

This is the second animal rights bill to have been passed through the Senate this week. On Wednesday, the 23rd, the Senate Democratic Majority passed S3926A which significantly strengthens the penalties against those who participate in, and profit from, the inhumane and illegal activity of animal fighting.

“As a firm believer in animal rights, I am very proud of the legislation passed this week that will set strict penalties against crush videos and animal fighting,” said Senator Krueger. “These bills move us one giant step forward in the march toward the ethical treatment of all living beings.”